Thursday, August 12, 2010

Bookshelf spills economics, underworld, god

1. 'Superpower? The Amazing Race Between China's Hare and India's Tortoise': Written by Raghav Bahl; Published by Penguin-Books India; Priced at Rs.699.

With telling insights into the two Asian powers' histories, polities, economies and cultures, the book probes the difference between the way India and China have built their economic foundations. It shows that even as the dragon and elephant economies are together projected to dominate the world in a matter of decades, there is a palpable difference in the way China and India work on the ground.

China is spectacularly effective in building infrastructure and is currently investing almost half of its GDP; it is crafting a new economic idiom that has stood textbook wisdom on its head. Meanwhile, India is the classic example of a 'promising' economy: more than half of its GDP is consumed by its billion-plus population.

2. 'Sacred Grove': Written by Daman Singh; Published by HarperCollins-India; Priced at Rs.200.

Master of jingles, aspiring Bay-blader and star cricketer on home ground, Ashwin is smart, funny, and sometimes bratty beyond belief. As the son of the district collector in a small town in central India, he has little to worry about except his mother's mood swings, his father's principles and an about-to-be-born sibling. And yes, his Masi's occasional visits, not always with a gift in hand.

Two things happen to ripple the surface of this calm: his newfound friendship with his driver Rafiq and his best friend Ravi's new interest in hanging out with older boys with a penchant for trouble. Before he knows it, all that he holds dear is under threat and the choices he is faced with are not those anyone would wish as a young boy.